Assessing regional farming system diversity using a mixed methods typology: the value of comparative agriculture tested in broadacre Australia

The analytical, methodological and conceptual tools used in comparative agriculture to solve the challenges associated with the holistic study of farming system heterogeneity are discussed. These included basing data collection and analysis on an empirical approach that assessed groups of farms rather than individuals, solving data scarcity through a range of qualitative techniques, and progressively informing the choice of typology criteria. Comparative agriculture thus provides an alternative to standard typology paradigms that deserves wider application.